What Is the Cheapest Food That Can Feed a Lot of People?

When you’re feeding a hundred people with a tight budget, it’s not about fancy ingredients or gourmet recipes. It’s about calories, nutrition, and volume-what fills stomachs without emptying wallets. In food banks across Australia, from Melbourne to regional towns, the same five foods show up again and again because they work. They’re cheap, they store well, and they stretch further than you’d think.

Beans-The Real MVP of Feeding Crowds

Dried black beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans cost less than $1 per pound in bulk. A single 2-pound bag of dried beans, when cooked, yields about 6 cups. That’s enough for 12 servings of bean chili or rice and beans. Add onions, garlic, and canned tomatoes, and you’ve got a hearty, protein-rich meal that costs under 15 cents per serving. Beans have more protein per dollar than chicken or beef. They also keep for years if stored dry in a cool, dark place-perfect for food banks that need long-term stock.

One food bank in Footscray, Victoria, feeds 300 people weekly using just 50 pounds of dried beans. That’s $12 worth of food. No refrigeration needed. No waste. Just boiled, seasoned, and served with rice.

Rice-The Silent Workhorse

White rice is the quiet hero of budget feeding. A 20-pound bag of long-grain white rice costs around $10-less than 50 cents per pound. One cup of uncooked rice makes about three cups cooked. That’s enough for three adult servings. Mix it with beans, or use it as a base for stir-fried vegetables and soy sauce. Rice absorbs flavors well, so even simple seasonings make it satisfying.

It’s not just cheap-it’s forgiving. Overcook it? Still edible. Undercook it? Still edible. Burn the bottom? Scrape it off and the rest is fine. In food kitchens, rice is the safety net. It fills gaps when other ingredients run low. And unlike bread, it doesn’t go stale in a week.

Oats-Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Steel-cut or rolled oats are among the most underrated foods for large-scale feeding. A 5-pound bag costs about $5. One cup of dry oats makes four servings of oatmeal. But here’s the trick: oats don’t have to be sweet. Cook them with water, salt, and a splash of soy sauce. Add chopped carrots, lentils, or leftover veggies. Turn them into savory oat pancakes or mix with beans for a thick, filling stew.

Oats are high in fiber and slow-digesting carbs, which means people stay full longer. One food bank in Geelong switched from serving toast to oatmeal for breakfast and saw a 40% drop in mid-morning requests for snacks. People weren’t hungry again so soon.

Potatoes-More Than Just Side Dish

A 50-pound bag of russet potatoes costs $15-$20. That’s 30-40 cents per pound. One medium potato has about 160 calories and fills you up. Boil, mash, roast, or fry them. Add a little oil and salt, and they’re delicious. Potatoes are also nutrient-dense-vitamin C, potassium, and B6-all for pennies.

At a community kitchen in Ballarat, staff make potato and lentil stew every Tuesday. They use 10 pounds of potatoes, 5 pounds of dried lentils, onions, and canned tomatoes. The pot feeds 80 people. Total cost: $8.50. That’s under 11 cents per serving. No meat. No dairy. Just real food that lasts.

Canned Tomatoes and Tuna-The Flavor Boosters

You can’t feed people just beans and rice every day. It gets boring. That’s where canned tomatoes and tuna come in. A 400g can of tomatoes costs around $1. A 90g can of tuna in spring water is about $1.50. Together, they turn plain rice into a tomato-based sauce with protein. Add garlic, cumin, and chili flakes, and you’ve got a dish that tastes like something you’d pay for in a restaurant.

Tuna is often overlooked because people think it’s expensive. But when bought in bulk from food bank suppliers, it’s one of the cheapest sources of omega-3s and protein. A single can provides 20 grams of protein. That’s more than an egg, for less than the cost of a slice of bread.

Why These Five Work Together

These foods aren’t just cheap individually-they’re powerful in combination. Rice and beans together make a complete protein. Potatoes add bulk and carbs. Oats provide fiber and sustained energy. Canned tomatoes and tuna add flavor, nutrients, and variety.

Put them together, and you get meals that are:

• Calorie-dense-enough energy to get through a long day
• Nutrient-rich-protein, fiber, iron, potassium, B vitamins
• Long-shelf-life-no refrigeration needed for dry goods
• Easy to scale-cook 10 pounds or 100 pounds, same process
• Easy to prepare-no special equipment, just pots and heat

Compare that to frozen meals, fresh produce, or meat. They’re more expensive, spoil faster, and need more storage space. For food banks with limited fridges and volunteers who aren’t professional chefs, simplicity wins.

What Doesn’t Work

Not everything cheap is smart. Pasta, for example, is inexpensive-but it’s mostly carbs. It fills you up for an hour, then you’re hungry again. Bread is similar. It’s soft, easy to eat, and cheap-but it doesn’t provide lasting nutrition. Sugary snacks? They spike blood sugar and leave people tired and cranky.

Even things like eggs or cheese, while nutritious, are too expensive per serving to rely on for large groups. One carton of eggs might feed 12 people. But that same $5 could buy 10 pounds of beans, feeding 60.

Real-World Example: The Melbourne Food Bank Meal Plan

A small food bank in Richmond, Melbourne, feeds 150 people every Friday. Their weekly menu is built around these five foods:

1. Monday: Bean and rice stew with canned tomatoes
2. Tuesday: Oatmeal with raisins and a boiled egg (if available)
3. Wednesday: Potato and lentil soup
4. Thursday: Rice with tuna and sautéed onions
5. Friday: Beans, rice, and baked potatoes with a side of canned tomatoes

Weekly food cost: $75. That’s 50 cents per person per meal. They get donations of vegetables and spices, which add flavor without cost. No one goes hungry. No one complains about the food being bland-because it’s seasoned well and served with dignity.

How to Start Your Own Budget Meal Program

If you’re running a community kitchen or helping a food bank, here’s how to build a meal plan that works:

• Buy dry goods in bulk-co-ops, warehouse clubs, or food bank distributors
• Use canned goods with low sodium and no added sugar
• Train volunteers to cook in large batches-10 pots at once
• Season aggressively-salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, paprika make plain food taste good
• Rotate meals so people don’t get tired of the same thing
• Ask for donations of spices, oil, and vinegar-they’re cheap but often missing

You don’t need a big budget. You need a smart plan. And these five foods are the foundation of every successful large-scale feeding program in the country.

Final Thought: It’s Not About Luxury, It’s About Dignity

People don’t come to food banks because they want fancy meals. They come because they need to eat. The best food you can serve isn’t the most expensive-it’s the most reliable, the most filling, and the most respectful. Beans, rice, oats, potatoes, and canned tomatoes aren’t glamorous. But they’re honest. And they work.